Animal Influence I - Antennae The Journal of Nature in Visual Culture

Megan Matichuk and Gabrielle Burke
Smack, electronic based interactive installation, 2011 Matichuk and Burke
Finely produced, thin porcelain forms are hung from the ceiling with a multitude of thin clear
cables cascading from the body. As the viewer engages with the tentacles, the bodies glow as
the sensors are activated. Smack is an electronic-based interactive space using traditional and
new media. This installation relies on the relation between viewer and object; and traverses the
chasm between traditional and contemporary media. Using technology and form as tools, the
installation critiques the advantages and disadvantages of these typical binaries as well as the
integral dependent relationship between human and animal.
A smack is a cloud or bloom of jellyfish. Inspired by the way in which these organisms interact
with these people and objects, Smack enables a physical relationship between object and
subject.
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SMACK